Parliament in brief

European Voice

21/11/12, 7:10 PM CET

Updated 13/4/14, 12:04 AM CET

Bomb-making materials

MEPs voted on Tuesday (20 November) in favour of a regulation to restrict access to bomb-making materials. Purchasing high-risk chemicals in strong concentrations will require a licence, and wholesalers and retailers will be obliged to report suspicious transactions involving substances that do not require a licence. The regulation needs the backing of member states.

Motorbike safety

On Tuesday, MEPs approved updated safety rules for motorbikes, to apply to new vehicles from 2016. The regulation still requires the backing of the member states.

2012 budget

MEPs yesterday (21 November) approved €670 million in EU aid to Italy for victims of an earthquake in Emilia-Romagna in May. The Commission’s request for the aid, from the EU’s solidarity fund, had been delayed because of a battle between the Parliament and the member states over a separate, €9 billion top-up request from the Commission, but ministers and MEPs subsequently agreed to unblock the funds for Italy.

Film prize

The Parliament’s LUX Prize for cinema was yesterday awarded to “Shun Li and the poet”, a film by Italian director Andrea Segre.